


Remember Me as I Die (For You)

by TheVoidless



Category: South Park
Genre: Childhood Friends, Explicit Language, Guardian Angel AU, Homophobia, K2 - Freeform, M/M, Senior Year of High School, angel!Kenny, it happened in the past, mystery?, the major character death warning is only referenced
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:47:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28023429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheVoidless/pseuds/TheVoidless
Summary: Kenny's the new kid in Kyle's art class, but there's more to him than his good looks. He recognizes Kyle, but Kyle doesn't remember him. While Stan is a bit convinced he's stalking Kyle, Kyle's strangely more intrigued than worried.
Relationships: Kyle Broflovski/Kenny McCormick
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

“Alright class,” the art teacher announced. “A new student will be joining us today, so be nice.”

Kyle sighed, looking up from the notebook on his desk in boredom. It was his last period of school, and he was anxious for the day to be over. While he was typically vigilant in his classes, today had been particularly rough.

His eyes searched the front of the classroom to take a look at the kid- and was immediately taken aback in surprise. 

The boy in front of him was strikingly beautiful. He carried himself lazily, with a certain feeling of danger to the sharp set of his jaw and icy blue eyes. His dirty blonde hair was messily done, though the light from outside warped around it like a halo. Loose jeans and a plain gray t-shirt hung on slight shoulders. The student held a laid back smile, and Kyle’s stomach did an uncomfortable flip when they made sudden eye contact. Kyle immediately looked away.

“Say hello to Kenny McCormick,” the teacher finished, and continued in a lower voice, but loud enough for Kyle in the front to hear. “Sit wherever you’d like.”

There were a few options for Kenny to sit, one being next to Kyle, and others more towards the back of the classroom. Kyle instinctively knew he’d choose the back, since new kids usually did, but nearly blushed indiscreetly as Kenny took the seat next to him. 

None of his friends had this class with him. Stan already had fulfilled his fine arts credit in some other drawing class, and Kyle’s not sure if he’s grateful Stan’s not here.

And that name. Kenny. It was on the tip of his tongue on how he recognized that name, a ghost of some memory crying out in the back of his mind. He decided to ignore it to pay full attention to the boy in the present instead.

“Hey Kyle,” the new student, Kenny, held a wide smile. “Been a while, hasn’t it?”

Kyle raised a confused eyebrow and nervously grinned back while his insides did a lurch. “Uhm, hi,” He had to remind himself not to puke on him like Stan would. ”Have we met before?”

His skin was softly tan, but on further inspection, his hands told a more calloused story as he brought them up to rest on the desk. Kyle noticed he didn’t have a schoolbag or any form of paper or pencil. 

For a fleeting moment Kenny’s expression looked disappointed, but it quickly righted itself again. It happened so quickly that Kyle isn’t sure it happened. “Oh, well, I guess not,” he said.

The teacher continued the lesson, something about sketching and outlines and perspective. It all went over Kyle’s head, thoughts plagued with the new kid. Kenny, Kenny, Kenny. It had to ring a bell somewhere. He could swear up and down he knew that name. He thought back to his friends and acquaintances over the years, but nothing came up. Beginning of high school? Late middle school years? 

He was thrown out of his thoughts as he felt pressure on his arm. “Hey dude, do you have extra paper and a pencil?” God, even his voice was attractive.

Kyle didn’t do anything for a few tense seconds, brain processing Kenny’s request. “Oh, yeah, sure.” He reached down to his backpack for the items, and handed them over. 

“Thanks,” the boy had leaned a bit closer as Kyle twisted down, and breathed warmly next to his ear, too close. A pleasant shiver ran down Kyle’s back as he continued to stare straight forward, not daring to look over at Kenny.

The rest of the period ran smoothly. It felt like eternity, but the bell sounded with such finality that had Kyle up and packing his things in a hurry. He wanted to tell Stan all about this beautiful stranger. 

“Wait,” his arm was caught in Kenny’s hand as he was about to turn away. “Can I walk with you?”

Heat curled in his stomach as Kyle turned back to flash a mix of surprise and concern at Kenny. “To my house?”

“Oh, right, sorry,” he immediately let go, like he just realized how weird the action was too late. “I guess you don’t know me enough.”

“Maybe some other time,” Kyle nodded with a confused frown, off-put by such a forward approach by a boy who was clearly out of his range.

Kenny smiled sadly, and waved as Kyle left. He returned the wave with more uncertainty.

Kyle quickly made his way to where he knew Stan would be, at the front of the school talking to Wendy. 

“Kyle!” Stan smiled brightly at him. “I was just telling Wendy about the game tomorrow. You in?”

Wendy gives a supportive smile to Kyle. He smiled back warily, fully set on not talking about the new kid in front of her, “I, um, yeah? Wait, lemme check.”

He pretends to check his phone calendar, and shrugs helplessly, “Sorry dude, my family’s doing this dinner thing tomorrow.” 

Stan smiles in understanding, “It’s alright dude, it’s not a big game anyways. Maybe if we make Region you can cheer me on.”

Kyle nods, and Wendy gives him a questioning look before asking Stan on the details. 

It’s not that he didn’t want to support his best friend. It was that football was just… that. Football. Kyle enjoyed basketball, but wasn’t sold so much on the physical tackling and the more violent nature of the other ball game. As much as he loved Stan, screw hours of sitting on a metal bench watching a bunch of guys strangle each other. Not to mention, he didn’t really know anyone else he’d cheer with. Wendy was definitely not an option.

Sure, she was intelligent, and they could probably have a lot of interesting conversations if they wanted to. Yet, he wasn’t totally comfortable with the idea. Both of them were mighty too competitive to really get along.

When Wendy gave her goodbyes and finally left, Kyle pounced on his friend, “Stan, Stan, Stan. I need to tell you something.”

The quarterback football star laughed at his friend’s enthusiasm, “Okay, I’m listening.”

“Not here. My house?”

“Sure.”

They take Kyle’s car, and as soon as they set foot down on his lawn, Stan’s all ears. “Alright, what’s so important you had to bring me here?”

“Have you seen the new kid?” Kyle asks as he unlocks his house’s door. His parents weren’t home, and Ike’s school didn’t get out for another thirty minutes.

“No, but what about him?”

“Okay, well, it was the weirdest thing.” Kyle holds the door open and Stan walks through. Kyle follows and closes it with a resounding thud. “He was in my art class and was acting super wacky.”

“How wacky?” Stan leads the way to Kyle’s room, their haven for bro gossip and homework. “Like, creepy, or weird in a good way?”

Kyle puffs his cheeks out in thought, “I guess both?”

Stan raises his eyebrows and tilts his head, “How so?”

Kyle blows all the air from his mouth out in a sigh, “I’ll get to that- but, first. Do you recognize the name Kenny?”

Stan purses his lips, “I don't think so. Do you mean Kenzie from Biology? Ken is probably a nickname for both of them.” He settles down on Kyle’s bed. Kyle plops down on his desk swivel chair.

Kyle shakes his head, “No, it’s not Kenzie. What if I told you this kid recognized me?”

“Recognized you? He knew your name?”

“Yeah!” Kyle suddenly stood up, “He came up to me and was like, ‘It’s been a while, Kyle.’”

Stan looked amused at the rhyme, yet concerned at the same time, “So you have a… stalker?”

“See, that’s the thing!” Kyle begins pacing in front of Stan, eyes focused on the floor. “When class was over, he asked if he could walk me home!” 

At this, Stan shifted on the bed, “What did you say to him?”

“Uh, I said something, like, ‘not today?’” Kyle didn’t remember the conversation word for word, but he knew the gist of it. “But he grabbed my arm like I was leaving him behind or something. It wasn’t in a creepy way, but still.”

Stan frowned and visibly bristled, “He grabbed your arm?”

“Yeah, it sounds super sketchy, I know. But he really did seem like a chill, nice guy. Like he didn’t know what he was doing was weird.”

Kyle nearly wanted to gush about his looks and voice, how crazy it was that he sat next to him of all people, but. He contained himself. Stan was straight, and Kyle didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. Stan knew he was gay, and accepted and loved him, but Kyle was still a bit uncertain if that support extended to listening to him swoon over a guy- which, to be fair, Kyle wasn’t eager to hear Stan talk about a woman in the same way.

A huff, “Well, it’s still not okay.”

“Sure, but, maybe I really do know him from somewhere and I forgot. He acted like we were friends.”

“That is really weird.” Stan looks out the window like he’s deep in thought. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“Yeah, if he does end up walking me home, I’ll make sure you’re there.” Kyle says, but he’s not sure it’s true. Did he really think Kenny was such a risk?

Stan grins and brings a fist over his heart in mock salute, “I am your sworn protector.”

Kyle laughs, and they spent the rest of the day in each other’s company until Stan had to go home

It was much to Kyle’s surprise the next day to find the one-and-only, Kenny McCormick, sitting at the front door to his house. 

“Hey Kyle!” Kenny waved with a large smile on his face. He rose from his perch, standing up to face him. “How are you?”

“Uh,” Kyle bit back a yell of surprise, eyes blown wide. He couldn’t believe this kid was here. And his enthusiasm was crazy. Kyle, despite himself, grinned slightly back, Kenny’s energy contagious. “I’m doing fine. What’re you doing here?”

Kenny’s eyes cast down for a split second, but came back up immediately, brighter than ever. “I thought we could walk to school together.” 

“Walk? To school.” Kyle already had one strap of his backpack on, so he shrugged over the other side with practiced ease. He stepped out to begin the trek. He wondered to himself why he was doing this with the new kid when he could just take his car, finding his own actions oddly impulsive. “How did you know where I live?”

Kenny was quiet for a moment, silently matching Kyle’s gait. Then, “Do you really not remember me?” 

“Um, no. Am I supposed to?”

“I,” Kenny started, then seemed to ponder on it for a moment. “Maybe not.”

It was like someone suddenly flipped a switch, because after a brief pause, Kenny skipped ahead and exclaimed, “Well, it doesn’t matter. Today’s gonna be great!”

But that day wasn’t great. At least, not for Kyle. He silently wondered if Kenny’s was any better than his.

Cartman was currently jeering at him from beside him at his locker, making a scrunched up face that Kyle was sure felt painful. 

“Well if it isn’t pretty boy Kahl,” Cartman said with slurred words. “What’s your dumbass doin’ these days? Getting fucked? Literally?”

Kyle came out publicly last year, but it seems it hasn’t been enough time for Cartman’s gay jokes to wear out. So really, his reply in the form of rolling his eyes and otherwise ignoring Cartman was pretty justified.

He’s sure his ear would continue to fill with horrendous jokes about his sexuality until he made himself scarce, so he’d planned to grab his things and go. But just as he shut his locker door and Cartman was carrying on another insult, he jerked at the sound of a loud thud. 

He swiveled in time to see Cartman falling flat on his back, laying at the feet of none other than Kenny.

Cartman made an unholy screech that Kyle is sure made all the demons in theoretical Hell cover their ears in horror.

“That’s right, dipshit,” Kenny practically growled at the lump of Cartman on the floor. “I hope you fuckin’ felt that. You’ve got it comin’ a long ass time. You’ve no right goin’ round and harassing anyone, least of all _Kyle_.”

Kyle’s heart did a double take at the sound of his name, but before he could question why Cartman shouldn’t be harassing anyone, _least of all- him_ , Kenny turned and took Kyle by the arm, pulling him away from his locker.

“Hold on,” Kyle interrupted their march down the hall, but didn’t physically resist Kenny’s admittedly warm and protective hold. “What just- what was that?”

He doesn’t get an answer in words, though he does feel Kenny’s hand clench a fragment tighter around his skin. 

_He’s furious_ , Kyle thought. _But so angry he can’t speak?_ It was a complete surprise- not only was this fury a complete 180 from his earlier peppy attitude, but everyone at school knew Cartman and all the shit that came out of his mouth. So this kind of reaction? To Cartman insulting his number one target, Kyle? Unheard of. This kind of behavior was accepted as the norm- no one really paid any attention to it.

They made it to the common area of the school before Kenny finally let go of Kyle’s arm. While he did need that release- his arm was actually throbbing a bit- he missed the physical contact. 

“Sorry,” Kenny said, but really didn’t look like he was. “I know you’re capable of doing the same if you wanted to, but…” His sentence drifted into the air, and Kenny swept his hand through the back of his hair in frustration. “He really pisses me off.”

Kyle, wide-eyed, wasn’t sure what to say. Was a ‘thank you’ appropriate? Should he calm Kenny down and explain how normal this actually was?

But- was it really normal? Now that someone removed from the norms of the school has intervened, it really shone a light on what was happening. Why had he just been accepting Cartman’s abuse all these years?

It seemed Kyle was thinking for too long, so Kenny started to apologize again, “Oh, god, you really didn’t want me to do that, I’m so-”

“Wait,” Kyle put up a hand to stop him. “I… I just never really thought about it like that. Thank you. Really. That was… satisfying.” He brought his surprised expression to a genuine smile.

To Kyle’s delight, Kenny’s face blushed a furious red. _CUTE_ , Kyle practically screamed in his head. His freckles burned under the blush, and his subtly pouted lips drew Kyle’s eyes to them like a captain to a lighthouse.

Kenny nodded, gathered his bearings, and said, “Yeah. Let’s just say if that bastard ever bothers you again, I’ll come running.”

Kyle’s smile grew, and snorted, “Of course. I’d love to see that every day.” He thought for a moment, studying Kenny’s face, then said, “Speaking of running, I didn’t even hear you until Cartman fell. Were you there that whole time?”

If he was, Kyle had no idea where he’d been. In a closeby classroom, maybe?

Kenny shuffled, “Err, no. I knew you were in danger. I’ll tell you later.”

Danger? Kyle’s eyebrows raised. And he knew? Maybe a red flag, maybe not.

It seemed like Kenny could tell the shift in mood from that, and he quickly corrected, “I don’t mean- I just… Fuck. You’ll understand once you see it, alright?”

See ‘it?’ See what? Kyle couldn’t be more confused, but he managed to concede, “Alright.”

Kenny smiled at that, and in that moment, Kyle knew it was going to be okay.


	2. Chapter 2

It was not okay.

Fridays were the best- you could go home from school and take a load off. There were no worries about homework for next week- at least for professional procrastinators like Kyle. You could also stay up as long as you wanted and sleep in until the ground was already baked by the sun on Saturday, if you didn’t care much for your sleep cycle.

Yet this Friday was a whole lot less of relaxing and much more filled with thoughts like, “How did I end up here?”

Kenny had run up to Kyle at the end of school before he could go home and asked if they could walk back home together. He didn’t even have the chance to have his daily after-school chat with Stan or wish him luck on his game before Kenny was whisking him away from the school.

It just seemed to go from there: they got to Kyle’s house, Kenny didn't leave, Kyle felt awkward and invited him inside, Kenny refused and instead asked for him to accompany him to Stark’s Pond.

Was it an unofficial date? Was it some elaborate kidnapping by a stalker that looked much too innocent and sweet and handsome? Was Kyle reading too much into it?

The only logical step, of course, was to accept.

So there they were- hiking through some rolling hills and an unkempt trail that needed more than a few week’s worth of weed-pulling. Kyle’s unfortunate legs were hardly prepared- his skinny jeans really didn’t do much protecting from the sharp bushes that decided every-so-often to jab at him.

The trek was mostly silent, other than their footsteps on the dirt and brushes against the scraggly plants. Kenny seemed immensely determined, and only looked back at him like he was making sure Kyle was still there. Otherwise, his face looked onward rigidly, almost hauntingly.

The first sound that escapes them is Kenny’s sharp exhale at the sight of the Pond. The name really didn’t do it much justice, though. Perhaps it was smaller in years past, but it really looked more like a lake. Kyle knew, because when he was a kid, he’d play with Stan around here, splashing around and having water fights. 

Kenny takes a deep breath after that and slowly takes a step back to Kyle, still not facing him. The sun was slowly gliding down behind the mountains, and he couldn’t help but notice the way it shone off Kenny. He was practically glowing, and his eyes reflected much more than just the few lasting rays of the sun.

Ignoring if he should be concerned as he was with a practical stranger, he spoke. “Are you okay?” Kyle asked softly.

Kenny cleared his throat and finally met his eyes- Kyle could hardly resist looking back into the golden-flecked spheres.

“Yeah,” Kenny made out, his voice rough. “Sorry. I’ve had… a history here.”

Kyle hummed a thought. “Is this what you wanted to show me?”

“Oh!” Kenny’s mood brighted a bit, but immediately dimmed down. His emotions seemed to do that a lot. He looked shy. “Yeah, um. This is the part where I tell you to sit down.”

Kyle made a face of disbelief, “What are you showing me that needs me to sit down?”

Kenny smiled, still shy, and that eased Kyle’s mind. Golden eyes flicked to a nearly-rotting bench, and Kyle sat there.

“Don’t be too surprised,” Kenny warned, settling himself standing before Kyle. Before Kyle could ask what he meant, Kenny closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate.

A burst of color. Kyle could hardly describe it. It was a plethora of light, the way the sun plays on the surface of water, or how stars twinkle in the moonlight.

It was breathtaking.

Brilliant wings spread from Kenny’s back, shimmering with the dying light passing through its translucent nature. Like glass, Kyle thought. 

He could only stare for what had to be anxious moments on Kenny’s part. The winged man stood in front of him, uncertain. 

“You- They’re beautiful,” Kyle finally said, and Kenny’s face lifted, a bright smile adorning his face. “What… Who? What am I even supposed to ask?” The moment passed, and Kyle looked down at his hands, frowning. “Am I dead?”

He was brought out of his existential crisis to Kenny’s laughter. It bellowed out from the depths of his lungs and out into the sky. His face was perfectly crinkled in joy, and Kyle had the notion to reach out and smooth out the lines. He internally slapped himself- this man might not even be human and he can’t stop thinking about getting closer to him.

When the peals of laughter finally died out, Kenny said, “No! Gods, no. Quite the opposite. You are very, very much alive.” His expression became more somber at the thought. 

“There’s more than one god?” Kyle jumped onto what he said. “Are you an angel? Is that why you have wings?”

He would have shot out of the bench if he weren’t so awestruck by the pure power Kenny was emanating. Would it be inappropriate to stand before an angel? Is that why he was asked to sit down?

After all this time of doubting Kenny, he was some holy being? Shit. Was he going to Hell for thinking an angel was a stalker? Was Hell real?

It explained how he knew Kyle’s name from the get-go.

Stopping Kyle’s million-thoughts-per-second, Kenny put his hands on Kyle’s shoulders, and snorted. “Kyle, I love you to death, but for fucks sake dude.” He shook his head endearingly, “You’ve really never changed- you think too much. I can hear the cogs turning.”

Kyle leaned into the warmth of Kenny’s hands, anticipating Kenny to elaborate on the answers he desired. When it seemed clear Kyle was waiting for Kenny to do so, the winged man smiled and raised an eyebrow, “I’m not about to lecture you about shit like religion and if Heaven exists.” After a pause, he continued, “But I will remind you about me.”

“What?”

“Me. Kenny, your old pal.”

Kenny continued to stare at Kyle intensely, but he was at a loss of words.

Kenny frowned, “You seriously don’t remember? After I showed myself to you… brought you to this pond, I thought, maybe…” He trailed off, his tone becoming more desperate. “I don’t believe that. It feels like ages ago, but it’s only been eight years.”

Stark’s Pond… Did Kyle remember anything about Kenny here? Was he a neighborhood boy that happened to play with Stan and him one day and just couldn’t forget?

“I’m sorry,” Kyle apologized, because he didn’t know what else to do. “I see that this means a lot to you, but I really have no idea.”

Kenny narrowed his eyes, his irises flickering big and small to focus in on Kyle’s face. What was he looking for? Did he think Kyle was lying?

“Maybe now isn’t the time,” he said, his expression becoming hard to read. Kenny took a step back, letting go of Kyle’s shoulders. The brilliant wings folded back into nothingness, and in an instant, both men were covered in darkness. The sun had set.

Kenny suggested he walk Kyle back home, and so they left the way they came. Kyle was tempted to question Kenny about what had just happened, but refrained due to his earlier refusal to answer anything. 

They got back to the house before it got too late. The lights were on in Kyle’s house, emanating a familial warmth through the glass panes. He could feel the cold of the weather seep past his jacket at the sight of shelter.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Kyle,” Kenny waved at him, swiveling around to head back to wherever he lived, Kyle assumed. 

Before he could leave, Kyle stopped him, “Hold on.”

Kenny looked at him, face set. “Yeah?”

He paused for a moment. Was Kenny really going to be tight-lipped about everything because Kyle couldn’t remember something from eight years ago? “I… we met before. You knew me eight years ago?”

A flash of pain flew across his face before Kenny gave him a long look. “Goodnight, Kyle.”

Kyle watched as Kenny disappeared into the night.

His mother came out to get him from the cold, hushing him inside. She had asked what he was doing out there, looking out into the dark- but Kyle could hardly process any of it. He was still hung up on Kenny- the new kid, the winged man, the one he was supposed to have known from eight years ago.

“Mom,” he began, and Sheila looked up to him from where she was getting a glass of water. “I was wondering…”

“Yes, bubbuh?”

He sat down at the empty dining table, and his mother followed. “Do you remember when Stan and I used to go out to Stark’s Pond?”

She smiled gently, “Of course! You two were such rowdy little boys. Always coming back drenched in dirty water and smelling something awful.”

“Was there anyone else?” He asked, frowning and leaning towards his mother. “There’s a new kid at school, and he knew my name and said we’d known each other from eight years ago.”

His mother’s face stilled, her eyes shifting away from his. “Hmm, I don’t know, Kyle.” She got up from the table, “Perhaps some boy you ran into one day and forgot about.”

Sheila left for the kitchen, apparently done with the conversation, and Kyle was left all the more confused. Her behavior was strange, to say the least. She couldn’t really be hiding something, could she?

And did it have anything to do with Kenny?

He went to bed that night with more questions than answers. Maybe he’d ask his father in the morning, although he sort of doubted he’d know anything. His mother kept more tabs on them than his father did back then.

It was worth a try, Kyle thought.

But he could hardly try at all that morning when the doorbell rang insistently at seven. The weekend was a slow day for the Broflovski’s, and his parents were likely groaning about who it could be. Before Kyle could bother to stir from his sleep and save them the trouble of answering it, the knocking at the front door suddenly turned into tapping at his bedroom window.

He yelped, nearly jumping out of his bed in astonishment. There was Kenny, crouching precariously outside his window with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Holy fuck-” Kyle managed, grabbing his blankets and covering himself. Really, his habit of sleeping in just his boxer briefs wasn’t doing him any good. Even if it was freezing, he still enjoyed covering himself with heavy blankets.

“Hey,” Kyle could make out from the other side of the window, watching Kenny’s lips move as he spoke. “Are you gonna leave me out here?”

Spurred into motion, Kyle managed to face the other way, quickly throwing on a pair of jeans and a hoodie, and striding over to unlatch the window.

Kenny slipped in a lot more gracefully than he’d imagined and stood to face Kyle. “So, we hanging out today or what?”

Kyle raised an eyebrow, “You do this magical reveal yesterday, don’t answer any of my questions afterwards, and come knock down my house at seven in the fucking morning. I think it’s ‘or what.’”

He grinned, despite his refusal, and Kenny mirrored it. “What else did you have in mind?”

Kyle could hardly deny the flush over his body just then, his mind and body going to things he would really, really want to do, but managed to keep that to himself. “Why don’t we start by you explaining everything I don’t understand?”

Kenny hummed in thought, closing the window behind him and bouncing onto his bed. While it bothered Kyle- he liked to keep his bed clean, and there really was no way Kenny was very tidy after making it up to his window- he let it slide for the moment to get his answer.

“I guess I can say a few things,” Kenny started slowly, pursing his lips (lips that Kyle was still definitely not staring at, thank you very much). “But like I said before, I ain’t sayin’ much.”

“Fair, I guess,” Kyle conceded, then eyed the place Kenny sat on his bed. “Actually, do you think you could, uh,” he waved his arms to the chair at his desk. Getting the hint, Kenny rolled his eyes and moved places.

“You and your germaphobia, man,” Kenny sighed. 

It was Kyle’s turn to roll his eyes, “I’m not a germaphobe, okay? You’re bringing in dirt and shit, dude. I’m not worried about germs.”

He crossed his arms and sat down next to where Kenny had been previously on the bed. In that moment, he realized how comfortable he felt talking so casually to Kenny- since when had he been so close to someone other than Stan? Why was he falling into this so quickly, like it was natural?

He cleared his throat. “Anyways, what can you tell me?”

Kenny smiled, ready for the question. “Right. You remember what happened yesterday, then? The wings, and shit?”

Kyle stuck his tongue out at him, “Of course. My memory really isn’t bad.”

Ignoring that, Kenny continued, “Well, to put it bluntly, I’m kind of your guardian angel.”

At that, Kyle became serious. “You’re my what now?”

“Guardian angel,” Kenny repeated, like Kyle just had to hear it again to get it. “You know, like, an angel that looks out for you. So you don’t die.”

“Right, I get the concept,” Kyle massaged his temple. “But you’re really telling me you’re… that? An angel, sent down to protect me? I guess it explains how you were there when Cartman was giving me shit.”

“Yep, my Kyle senses were tingling. I flew right over, actually, which is why you didn’t hear me run up to you,” Kenny chucked, but then pursed his lips. “And I wasn’t quite ‘sent down.’ But I won’t say more than that.”

But Kyle’s eyebrows shot up, “You were sent ‘up,’ then? What, you’re from Hell?!”

Kenny laughed, “Fuck like I know. Maybe? Anyways,” he went on. “Just know that I’ve always got your back. And, um,” he hesitated for a second. “More, if you want.”

Kyle could hardly hear the words. Was Kenny flirting? He searched for any sign on his face, and found Kenny’s ears splashed with pink.

He grinned, “What’s this about ‘more?’” 

At that, his suspicions were confirmed- his prodding seemed to have given the angel confidence, and Kenny smiled slyly and waggled his eyebrows, “Let’s just say I might fly off with your heart.”

Kyle couldn’t help it- he snorted and nearly started to laugh hysterically. “I can’t wait.” He could feel himself blushing, his face hot.

Before either of them could continue their flirtatious banter, they froze at the sound of a knock on Kyle’s door.

“Kyle?” A boy’s voice drifted past the wooden door. “The fuck are you doing in there?”

Kenny looked at him questioningly, but before Kyle could manage a reply, Ike pushed the door open to peek in.

“Kyle,” he started again, but stopped at the sight of the two men. Ike raised an eyebrow, “What the hell, man. What’s Kenny doing in your room this early in the morning?”

At that, Kenny immediately jumped up and hugged Ike in a ferocious grip. “Ike! Holy hell, you remember me!”

“Uh- yeah? Please let go,” he managed a few strangled breaths from the hug until Kenny set him down. When he did, Ike gave Kenny a blatant once-over. “Shit, dude.”

“What?” Kenny smirked, flexing his muscles through his grey t-shirt (wasn’t that the one he’d been wearing since they met?). “You intimidated by these awesome guns?”

“Nah, I was just gonna say how much shorter I thought you’d be,” Ike said with a grin, and disappeared from sight. Before he was out of ear-shot, he called, “And keep the noise down! Sorry I interrupted your gay reuinon.”

“Ike!” Kyle shouted at the door, but Ike was already gone. “The fuck?” He turned to Kenny, “My brother actually fucking remembers you? How?”

Kenny shrugged, “That’s what I wanna know.” Then he gave Kyle a look, “You didn’t hate me back then, did you? Hated me so much you forgot about me?”

“Judging by how well we’re getting along now, I highly doubt it,” he said. “While I’d argue I wouldn’t remember anything eight years ago, I am a little concerned Ike does.”

Kenny shook his head, “Yeah dude. But I guess Ike’s kind of a genius. Got the memory capacity of an elephant or something.”

“An elephant?” Kyle snorted. “And what the hell do you know about Ike? He was just a little kid eight years ago.”

“I’m a fuckin’ angel, Kyle,” Kenny sat back down at the desk. “You think I would just leave you guys on your own?”

Kyle narrowed his eyes, calculating, “So, you came down here eight years ago, had some fun with the elementary kids, and stuck around?”

“Jesus, dude, you make it sound a lot worse than it is.”

“How else am I supposed to see this?”

“Just don’t,” Kenny offered off-handedly. “I think once you remember me, it’ll all make sense.”

“And you can’t just remind me, for some reason,” Kyle deadpanned.

“It’s complicated,” Kenny said shortly, looking away. “That also means no more asking about it to your parents.”

Kyle stood up, heart pounding. Fuck Kenny being his ‘guardian angel.’ This was some straight up stalking. “How’d you know I was? You heard me talk to my mom last night?”

Kenny just looked at him, then sighed and focused on the floor in front of him. “Sorry, it’s a habit.”

“Okay, hold on,” Kyle’s thoughts were going at the speed of sound. “You’re telling me you’ve been spying on me? Today, and for how long?” The pitch of his voice was heightening.

“What?” Kenny’s face fell, “Oh fuck, Kyle, no. I mean, yes, I’ve been… watching over you. Like I said, I’m pretty much your guardian angel. I just... “

“You what?” Kyle was getting angry, getting closer to Kenny and glaring down at him. “How do you think I fucking feel about the fact that you’ve just popped into my life and told me you’ve been practically watching me for every minute of my life?”

A rush of memories come at Kyle, of all the embarrassing things he’d ever done. Oh, god. How embarrassing. Had he really been ‘watching over’ Kyle for the past eight years or longer? The emotion fueled his anger.

Kenny could clearly see and feel it, too. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you would take it this hard-”

“Of course I took it this bad!” He nearly growled. “You’ve just given me news that’s practically ruined my entire life!” 

He didn’t really mean that- Kyle knew he was exaggerating. But the news really was difficult to bear with- his newfound crush just told him he’d been stalking him for half his life, and had continued to do so after revealing himself to him as a person-then-angel. Jerk.

But Kenny reacted instantly to the jab. There was an immense pain, then frustration overlapped it. “I fucking- back then, you and I- FUCK!” He sprang from the chair. “I couldn’t help it! I missed you so much!”

His own words seemed to have shocked him, and he was silent and still for a moment. Then, quietly, “Sorry. I’m sorry I _ruined your life._ ”

As quickly as Kenny appeared that morning, he was gone, leaving a chill from the window as it closed behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Kyle stood dumbfounded in his room for what felt like an hour. Then his body seemed to realize how much more sleep it wanted on the weekend morning, and he flopped back into bed, staring at the ceiling. 

Just how badly did he fuck up, and how much did he want to fix it?

As it turned out, his angel-crush felt a lot more important to him than the rest of his weekend.

Kyle found himself grabbing a few bites of breakfast and his jacket, rushing past Ike in the kitchen and swooping out the door. It wasn’t until he was down a few blocks he had no idea where he was going. His body automatically started down the way to school, but he didn’t know where Kenny lived- if he actually lived somewhere in South Park physically, anyway.

“Shit,” he mumbled to himself, pulling his jacket around him tighter. He looked around the area like it would show a sign in neon letters exclaiming, “Kenny’s this way!” But then the thought hit him- the Pond. That’s where Kenny showed him his wings- it was important to him, for reasons Kyle didn’t understand.

“Kyle?” he heard the voice before he had even set out on the new idea. Kyle saw Stan approaching from down the street- the direction of his own house. He was similarly bundled like Kyle, but noticeably looked less cold. Damn football players, with all their muscles.

He forced a smile- he loved Stan, but now really didn’t feel like the right time. “Hey dude. What’re you up to?”

Stan smiled back, and Kyle felt a little guilty at how genuine it was. “I was just gonna drop by your house, see if you were alright.” His smile turned down a bit. “You weren’t replying to my texts.”

Fuck. Stan was texting him? Kyle pulled out his phone, whipping his finger over the surface to see the messaging app.

15 unread messages.

 **Stan** : where r u? did u have smthing after school?

 **Stan** : I know u said u couldn’t make it to the game but if u got sum time, i’m feeling good about this one. no pressure ;P

 **Stan** : WE WON!!

Kyle’s eyes glanced over the next few celebratory texts, and then-

 **Stan** : what a fuckin way to finish the year, huh?

 **Stan** : wanna hang with the all star winning quarterback tomorrow? ;))) that’s me

 **Stan** : did u sleep early today?

 **Stan** : hope ur not feeling sick :(((

 **Stan** : Kyle?

 **Stan** : imma drop by in the morning, ye?

Kyle felt like a complete dick.

He looked up from his phone, and gave his most apologetic look. “Oh, God, Stan. I’m sorry- it’s just, a lot’s been going on, and I just don’t really know what to do, and I-”

“Whoa, there,” Stan reached out, stopping his rambling with his good-natured smile still plastered on his face. “Slow down. I’m just glad you’re doing all right.”

Kyle buried his face in his hands, then lifted up to see Stan still looking supportive as ever. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

Stan snorted, “Please. I should say the same of you.”

Kyle smiled wholeheartedly this time, “Thanks, man.” They shared a good moment, but then Kyle’s mind flew back to the matter at hand. “Damn, I gotta go.”

“Where?” Stan asked. “It’s not like you to be running around this early on the weekend.”

“Stark’s Pond. Kenny- I mean, the new kid I told you about- I think he’s there.”

“You’re gonna go see your stalker all the way out there?” Stan’s protective mode switched on, and he stepped closer, as if he could body-block Kyle from leaving. “Not on my fuckin’ watch.”

“Wait a minute,” Kyle said, looking up at Stan in realization. “You were there. We played in Stark’s Pond when we were kids, remember?”

“Yeah?” The football player was confused in the change of topic. “Is this a distraction so you can run off to get killed?”

“What the- no. Kenny. Do you recognize that name?” Kyle searched for signs of recognition.

“Hmm. Yeah, I mean, I guess I’ve met a few. You already asked me that before. Haven’t seen the new kid yet, though.”

Kyle frowned, biting his lip in thought. “Did we play with anyone else eight years ago?”

When he mentioned the time, Stan’s eyebrows shot up. “Funny you mention that.”

“What?”

Stan shook his head, “Let’s go inside or something. I don’t wanna keep talking in the cold.”

Kyle hardly realized how his hands and legs were practically going numb, and was more than grateful when Stan led them to his house, only a few houses over.

“So what’s so funny about what I said?” Kyle could hardly contain himself from asking the minute they sat on his couch.

Stan grimaced, “I overheard my parents on the phone with your mom. Something about some kid dying a long time ago.”

“Someone died? Here?” Kyle felt dread inch through his stomach, afraid of the possibilities.

“Yeah, or so I overheard. I didn’t catch everything, but they seemed pretty sad about it.”

“They must have known what happened,” Kyle reasoned. “Maybe it was murder and they didn’t want us to get scared by telling us?”

Stan shrugged. “Could be.”

But there was more to it. Kyle could feel his intuition screaming at him- he was so close to unravelling something important.

How much time could he really spend here, though? If he waited too long, would Kenny just disappear, never to be seen again?

He pulled out his phone and started typing into a search bar, speaking to Stan at the same time, “I need you to drive me to Stark’s Pond.”

“Now?”

“Now.”

It took so long to arrive, Kyle was sure his heart would thump ahead of them. He was in an uncomfortable cold sweat- he hated that most about cold weather.

Technically, they took as long as it usually would to drive there, but Kyle was on the verge of running out himself- even if it would actually be much slower.

He had searched the history of South Park and Stark’s Pond, and anything related to a death. It was hard at first- clearly, the city didn’t want news leaking everywhere about someone dying- it would reduce the amount of possible visitors and tourists. But eventually, he found the answer he had been looking for. It felt… devastating.

In the aftershocks of the discovery, Kyle explained as much as he could to Stan: Kenny punching Cartman, Kenny walking him home, bringing them to Stark’s Pond, revealing wings (yes, I said wings, Stan), going home, talking to his mom, waking up to Kenny at the window, their talk about him being his guardian angel, Ike recognizing Kenny, then their argument. And really, it was all starting to come together.

The moment the car slowed to a stop, Kyle sprang out of the vehicle, running to where they had been just the day before. With a huge huff of relief, he found Kenny sitting on the bench.

The angel looked up at him sullenly, the rising sun facing his back. “Kyle.”

“Kenny,” he said, now slowly walking up to Kenny. “I am so sor-”

“No,” Kenny cut him off abruptly. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I blew up at you because… fuck, because you don’t remember me, but that’s not your fault. And I’m sorry for watching you without your consent.”

Kyle sighed, shaking his head. “I mean, it really does fit in the job description of a guardian angel. What if I choked on a fork?” He grinned at that. “I went too far, though. I didn’t mean that you ruined anything. It was just a shock, and, if I’m being honest, terrifying and embarrassing.”

“And you have every right to feel that way!” Kenny said with conviction, standing. It looked like he wanted to come closer to Kyle but was resisting the urge. “If it makes you feel better, though, I really do know every good and bad part of you, and I… I love you for all of it. All of you,” he said, looking deeply at Kyle. “This really might not be the time, but fuck it- I love you more than just a friend.”

Well, shit- he wasn’t throwing away Kenny’s affection for some ambiguous well-intentioned-divine-stalking. Kenny took a hesitant step forward- and that was all it took for Kyle to lessen the space between them and mash their lips together. 

“Mmm!” Kenny exclaimed in surprise, but received it quickly and opened his mouth in invitation.

Thank god Kyle asked Stan to wait in the car. He would have been mortified if he were watching, but for now, he let his tongue slide into Kenny’s mouth, savoring the taste of him and being so, so close.

They eventually parted, both breathing heavily and too red for it to be from the cold.

Kyle took Kenny’s hands in his. “I remember you. After you stormed out, I did some research. Stan helped me, actually,” he chuckled. “He’s actually waiting in the car a few minutes out from here. But anyways.”

Kenny’s face was clearly entranced by Kyle’s words, and so he continued, “I found out about you. About how… you died. Here,” he nodded towards the lake. Kenny had drowned here, eight years ago. “And I know you saved me,” he closed his eyes, pressing himself closer to Kenny, and the angel embraced him. “We were just ten. Best friends. Playing out here, when I got stuck in the mud in the water. You dove in and got me out.” He opened his eyes again to the world, to Kenny, and let himself stare into golden eyes. “You got stuck, and Stan and I probably didn’t realize you weren’t behind us until it was too late.”

Kyle was surprised when Kenny brushed a few fingers over his face- he had been crying. “I am so, so sorry, Kenny. My parents must have kept it under wraps- Stan and I were so confused, but our parents refused to tell us anything. We never knew. I thought… I thought you moved. You had just disappeared.”

It really did explain why he couldn’t recall anything about him- it was so long ago, and the memories they shared were overshadowed by the memories that followed. His parent’s attempt to keep it from them hindered any knowledge they could have gathered about it. Kyle was planning to have a talk with his parents after this- it’s possible the entire school was quiet about it. Likely because Kenny was just a low-income student. They must have thought it’d be best for the children to stay happy and ignorant, rather than ‘unnecessarily’ mourn the death of the poorest kid in town.

“It’s why you didn’t want to just tell me,” Kyle realized his thoughts out loud. “You wanted me to actually remember you, remember you who died for me. But I didn’t. Couldn’t…”

“It’s alright, Kyle,” Kenny said quietly. “I understand. We were just,” his voice hitched, and Kyle felt pain at the reaction. “We were just kids. My life ended eight years ago- but I’m here now. Reborn, I guess. Reborn for you.” He grinned. “I might have just crawled out of Hell to meet you again, but if that’s what it took-” he hugged Kyle tightly, pressing his lips on Kyle’s forehead. “Then it was worth it.”

Kyle wrapped around Kenny so tightly he wasn’t sure he could have let go. If Kenny didn’t push away, he’s sure they would’ve stayed like that forever.

In hindsight, it really did feel like their relationship moved too quickly- didn’t Kenny appear just a few days ago? But then again, they really had known each other for so long- they’d been best friends for years before Kenny died. While they were too young to really develop feelings, Kyle’s certain it would’ve eventually come to this if Kenny was still with them in all the missing time.

Kyle still couldn’t believe he really forgot about him. Was his parents’ insistence to forget it really that effective? Stan’s parents must have done the same.

But anyways, who was he to deny the attractive advances of his gorgeous guardian angel? 

They didn’t stay there long- Kyle didn’t want to leave Stan to freeze in the car. He also figured it was time to let them meet as well.

“Stan?” Kyle watched Kenny endearingly as he approached the window of the driver’s seat. The football player peered through the frozen glass before opening the door and stepping out.

“Whoa,” Stan breathed, looking into the angel’s face. “You… you really are... Kenny, I’m so sorry.”

Instead of responding, Kenny gathered Stan in his arms for a hug- they were the same height, but Stan was much bigger in terms of muscle- and it ended up Stan giving Kenny the harder squeeze.

“Jesus,” Kenny breathed. “Football really didn’t let you down, huh?”

Stan snorted, letting go of the bear hug. “So I’ve been told.”

Kyle couldn’t help but interject, “You can say ‘Jesus’ in vain? He’s not real?”

Kenny just shot him a look, and Kyle grumbled and crossed his arms. He really wanted to know, alright!?

“An angel, huh?” Stan asked, walking around to look at Kenny’s back. “Kyle told me you had wings.”

“Sure do,” Kenny hummed. “They’re not out right now, though.”

“Retractable wings? Dope.”

“I guess?” The angel chuckled. “I don’t actually know many details myself.”

“But you can fly?” Kyle asked, referring to Kenny’s earlier actions at school. Now that he thought about it- “Is that how you got to my window?”

Kenny just laughed at that. “It’s less flapping-my-wings and more of just… floating?”

“Like a ghost,” Stan said, frowning. “How do you know you’re an angel and not a spirit?”

The angel shook his head in mock disappointment, “Stan, have you ever seen such a handsome ghost?” He cracked a wide smile. “For real, though, I feel alive as ever.”

Stan kept regarding him a little suspiciously, but Kyle could tell he was falling into their groove. It felt like all those eight years were never stolen from them- like their best-friendship had been maintained all that time. 

They managed to get back into the heat of the car before Kyle’s toes fell off, and before they all knew it, they were laughing together like old times as they pulled up to Stan’s house and flopped onto the couch.

“Fuckin’ Cartman, amirite?” Kenny waved his arms dramatically. “So I go by his house one time, cause, why not? Free laughs! And I find him talking to the air. Something about Cupid. And he starts arguing- to no one! Denying he’s gay.” He smiled, shaking his head in disbelief. “I always kinda knew he had internalized homophobia.”

“Let me get this straight,” Stan’s eyebrows were furrowed, but he was still smiling playfully. “You were going around, just, haunting people? Like, totally invisible and whatever?”

Kenny scrunched his face up. “It’s a bit hard to say. I don’t remember much about what happened right after I died- there was… darkness. For a while. Then, light. I saw Kyle, sometimes,” and when he mentioned him, Kenny glanced at Kyle warily. “It’s not like most of it was intentional- I’d open my eyes, and there you were, at school or at home, talking to your family and whatever.” His eyes cast down. “Then I could move on my own. Go around- visiting everyone I’d missed. Everyone... who actually didn’t miss me.”

The mood grew solemn. Kyle reached out gently with a hand, taking Kenny’s in his. He could tell there was more that Kenny wasn’t telling them- but Kyle didn’t want to push him.

Anyways, Stan’s theory couldn’t possibly be right- ghosts didn’t feel this warm and alive. Kenny squeezed his hand in thanks. “But it’s alright now. I’m here! Alive... as ever.”

“Not even angels get How-To guides, then,” Kyle grinned. “A real tragedy.”

“No rulebook either,” Stan scoffed, holding back a bark of laughter. “Guess they knew rules are meant to be broken, anyway.”

“Of course,” Kenny said. “So are we starting a cult, or what? I think I’m ready to be worshipped.”

Kyle mock-punched his arm, “I’m not good enough, huh?”

Kenny, clearly not expecting that, blushed. 

Stan whistled, “Geez, I’m not even this obvious with Wendy.”

After talking into the night, Stan invited the both of them to sleep over (just like old times, ay?) after Kenny revealed he didn’t have a home- he didn’t want to burden his family by going back. Apparently he’d visited more than a few times to leave gifts for Karen, though.

“I better not wake up to the two of you making out,” Stan warned, but clearly not really meaning it. 

“I’ll try to keep my hands off,” Kenny smirked. “The key word is ‘try.’”

Turns out, Kyle didn’t make any promises, and he managed to get Kenny to spoon him for the night.

The next day, Stan had a date with Wendy, so Kenny and Kyle were left to their devices, walking by the road from Stan’s house.

“So we’re really a thing, right?” Kenny shyly smiled. Kyle still couldn’t get over how cute he was when he acted shy, goddamnit.

“After we kissed and cuddled for the entire night? I didn’t think it was debatable.” He smirked, letting himself act more suave than he thought he could- probably Kenny rubbing off on him. “There’s no way you’re getting rid of me that easily.”

The angel laughed, his wavy blonde hair bouncing on his head in the morning light. The baby blue in his eyes sparkled behind the gold flecks. “I couldn’t imagine it.”

And Kyle is sure he meant that literally, because seconds later, a loud honk echoed past the neighborhood. There was a horrid screech accompanied by muffled screaming. A car was heading straight towards them, accelerating down the icy road-

Kenny jumped in front of him, facing the collision head-on.


End file.
